Finding Fate
by starlight.moon.princess
Summary: James Sirius Potter and Teddy Lupin were meant for each other. They just needed to find that out for themselves.


**A/N: A few liberties have been taken with the ages of all the next-gen kids save for Teddy.**

**The epilogue now takes place 18 years later instead of 19, at which point James, Fred, Louis and the Scamander twins are 12, Albus, Rose and Scorpius 11, Lily and Hugo are 9, Victoire is 17, Dominique and Molly are 15 and Roxanne and Lucy are 13.**

_For Allie, whose lovely story "letters to teddy" gave me back my Jamesii/Teddy muse. _

* * *

James Sirius Potter is born on April 5th, 2004, a week before Teddy Lupin's 6th birthday.

When Teddy first sees his new godbrother, he climbs up to the sleeping baby's side and whispers, "I promise you'll never be without a family, baby." He promises the new born child that he will keep him safe and protected, no matter what it takes.

* * *

Teddy's loads older than James, but he always makes sure that he makes time for the younger boy. Even after the births of Albus and Lily, Teddy devotes most of his time to James. Because the two new babies are getting enough attention from the rest of the family, and an important part of looking after James is making sure that he doesn't feel overlooked and unloved due to his new siblings.

When he leaves for Hogwarts, James is crushed. Teddy's departure means that he's not only losing his godbrother, but also his best friend. He has no doubt that Teddy will find new friends his own age, and forget all about James.

But whenever Teddy's back home, he still makes the same amount of time for the younger boy. He still happily plays games that are for children much younger to him.

And though James never fully takes to being without Teddy, he's no longer afraid that he's going to lose the person he loves more than anyone else in the world.

* * *

When James enters Hogwarts, Teddy is in his seventh year. He's so much older than James, the king of Hogwarts, and James falls easily into hero worship.

He spends his first year following Teddy around, copying his every move and trying to be exactly like him. The fact that Teddy puts up with it without any complaints just makes James worship him more.

* * *

The summer before second year, James falls in love for the first time. Unsurprisingly to anyone who knows him, the object of his affections is Teddy.

He's devastated.

He doesn't mind the fact that he has feelings for a male – his father has raised him and his siblings to be open-minded, and he couldn't care less that he isn't interested in women in a romantic manner. But Teddy? Teddy's never going to see him as anything but a surrogate brother. He's doomed to unrequited love.

But that doesn't mean he can't live in hope.

He spends the whole summer wishing that Teddy will see him as more than just a little brother. He doesn't, but James consoles himself by reminding himself that Teddy isn't interested in anyone. Sure he's had his share of girlfriends, but they've never been serious. And by the looks of things, he's not looking for another relationship anytime soon.

But then Teddy's snogging Victoire – Victoire, his _cousin_ Victoire – on the platform as they leave for Hogwarts, and James' world crashes down. It's suddenly so blindingly obvious to James why Teddy wasn't looking for a relationship – he was already in one.

All he can think of is a horrific future where Teddy's marrying Vic, and James is left heartbroken in the background.

He knew he had no chance, but seeing Teddy with his cousin ends up breaking his heart in more ways than he knew was possible.

He mopes for the rest of the year.

* * *

As the years go by, James moves on from his childish crush on Teddy Lupin. He was eleven when he first fell in love with the older boy, no more than a child. It's no surprise that Teddy never noticed him.

He has other crushes, goes on dates and has relationships. But through it all, he also keeps an eye on Teddy's relationship status.

Teddy and Victoire fall apart in his third year. They worked well when one of them was miles away from the other for most of the year, but once they have to be around each other all year round, they realise that they just aren't meant to be.

During the next two years, Teddy goes through a string of women before realising that he prefers both sexes. The only difference this makes in his love life, however, is that his string of conquests grows to include men as well. By the time James is out of Hogwarts, Teddy's reputation in the arena of romance is as great as Sirius Black's once was.

* * *

James is over Teddy. He _is_.

That is, until he bumps into the other man at a gay club in Muggle London.

Teddy's out there, wearing tight clothes, grinding against some nameless guy. Looking at that, James' mind just short-circuits.

After that night, he just can't get the scene out of her head. He replays it over and over again, remembering just how gorgeous, how _delectable_ Teddy looked. He soon finds himself staring at Teddy every single time he's around him, imagining the Teddy that he saw at that club.

Teddy's constantly on his mind, and it doesn't take James a long time to figure out that he's falling down the slippery slope that is loving Teddy Lupin without a chance of having those feelings returned for the second time in his life, this time true love instead of a stupid crush, and there is absolutely nothing he can do.

* * *

James isn't the only one who notices something new at that club.

Teddy's never thought of James as anything other than the little baby he swore to protect nearly a lifetime ago. He had known of James' crush on him, and had been thrilled when the other boy had finally moved on – he had hated the pain on the younger boy's face when he had seen Vic and him together, something he had never meant to happen.

He knows that James prefers men, and it's not a stretch of the imagination to think that they'd bump into each other at a club at some point. But he's still surprised when he sees James standing at the bar nursing a drink as he looks out into the crowd of dancers, presumably for someone to "hook up" with.

No matter how surprised he is, that's still not the most shocking part of the evening. That honour goes to the hum of pleasure and arousal he feels at the sight of James Potter, all grown up and dressed to kill.

He has a period of denial – James is practically his little brother, for Merlin's sake – but he's never been one to lie to himself for too long. So he gets over the shock, and decides to do what he does best – chase after the person who's caught his attention.

* * *

James is pretty madly in love with Teddy, so when he notices that Teddy seems to be making more time to be around him, he simply chalks it up to wishful thinking. He's not going to fall into the trap that is hope.

But – soon enough, he's not the only one who's noticing Teddy's increased attention towards him. His best friends, Dominic Wood and Will Finnegan, inform him that Teddy's paying him too much attention for it to be strictly platonic. They both know just how hard he took Teddy's lack of interest in him six years ago, so he knows that they're not simply teasing him.

It quickly becomes a game of cat and mouse. Teddy's the one doing the chasing, while James runs, unwilling to believe that this is actually happening.

But then Teddy corners him at the Weasley family Christmas party, and he's so sincere that James cannot help but trust that he's actually telling the truth.

He's still wary, of course. Teddy's not got the best record for relationships by anyone's definition, and no matter how much he loves him, James is not about to become another notch on his bedpost.

* * *

Teddy knows he deserves the doubt filled looks that James sends him every time he promises that the two of them are meant to be forever. He knows that it's his mistake that James is hesitant to believe that the two of them will last. After all, it's not like he's well known for having long-lasting relationships.

That doesn't stop it from hurting.

He knows he has to convince James that he's serious about the two of them. And if that means not going out clubbing any more, or making sure not to appreciate a good-looking person who passes him by on the street, he's fine with that.

Because no matter what anyone says or thinks, he truly has fallen in love with James. He would never pursue him if he didn't. Teddy once made James a promise to protect him from any harm, and that includes protecting James from himself.

The love he's always had for James, a love that's existed even if it has not always been romantic, makes sure of that.

* * *

It takes James a long time to start to accept the fact that Teddy may actually be in it for the long run. Even when he does, he's still afraid that he's making a mistake, still terrified that he's going to be irreparably broken by lowering the defences he's built up against Teddy.

But love means taking a risk, and he's willing to take a risk on Teddy if it means that James may get a chance to keep him forever.

So he finally kisses Teddy, letting him know that he's leaping off the cliff in the hope that Teddy will be there to catch him.

And Teddy's there, waiting with arms spread wide. And when James finally hits the bottom, Teddy grabs hold of him, and never lets him go.

It may have taken them a long time and a few heartbreaks, but they finally find their way to each other.

Because no matter how much they protested, Teddy Lupin and James Potter were a story that was fated to be from the moment the first promise to a newborn baby was uttered in Saint Mungo's on April 5th, 2004. They just had to find their way to each other before they realised it.

* * *

_For:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, prompt 530. True Love_

_Slash/Femmeslash Bootcamp, Prompt 18. Obliviate_

_Greenhouses Competition, Chrysanthemum (yellow)_

_Fantastic Beasts Challenge, Unicorn_


End file.
